Sorry guys I got caught up on some stuff yesterday. But I'll post 18 and 19 today!
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Chapter Eighteen: Toph
"There are many different types of love young Avatar."
To which he had no response to.
Obviously I had never seen Katara, but I could tell she was beautiful, and effortlessly so. She once told me I was really pretty and that shocked me because no one had ever told me anything like that before and meant it.
"Toph! Iroh!" Aang's voice rattled me from my sleep. I sensed his frantic footsteps towards the front of the house. I leapt out of bed to get to him.
He was in his fighting stance, his heart racing like it did before a big fight. He was full of anxiety. Iroh joined us a moment later, all of us turning our backs to one another in a triangle to this imaginary threat none of us could see.
"What is it, Aang?" Iroh spoke in a hushed tone to ensure he wouldn't spook, or attract, whatever it was that was coming for us.
"I was meditating, just trying to clear my head and this spirit came to me. He told me he could help me bring balance within myself. Told me my problem could be solved easily.
"That that's how he sensed me. My internal turmoil attracted him to me. He said to think about what it was that brought me into the spirit world in the first place. I closed my eyes, but when I reopened them the spirit had changed.
"He manifested himself into a scorpionlizard. His claws gripped onto me and then I felt this energy flow through me as he forced me into the Avatar state and dragged us both back to the physical world."
"Agni, Aang! Don't you know the spirits are not to be trifled with? The spirit you encountered is one of the oldest, he and Koe, the face stealer, are brothers. His name is Chenlei. And if we don't bring him back to the spirit world he will terrorize this city."
"Monkey feathers! What do I do? How do we find him?" Iroh adjusted his stance, "he will come for the object that brought you your internal struggle. Only then can he roam freely. It was the deal he made you, the only thing that frees him. He will bring it to Koe and free him as well. The two will be unstoppable.
"Aang, you must tell us what was on your mind so we can protect it at all costs."
Aang's heart raced once again, his arms going slack. Then they were staring at me. Both of them, their gaze making me uncomfortable. "What! What is it?" I said exasperated.
"You. I was thinking of you, Toph."
"Oh, Spirits…"
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"I need to meditate, I need advice from Roku. Iroh, will you stay with her?"
They were speaking but I comprehended none of it. Not a single word. I was the reason Aang was meditating in the first place? What was he thinking about? What had him so confused he sought advice from the spirits?
The rest of the early morning passed slowly. And I was in constant company with Iroh or Aang, sometimes even both. Roku came to Aang and said the only way to lure the spirit out of hiding was to, in fact, go to the spirit world with me and defeat him there.
But Aang hadn't wanted to take that risk, he didn't want to bring me into the spirit world where he and I couldn't bend and where I couldn't see at all.
Late afternoon rolled around and a light knock sounded at the front door. Iroh answered it.
"Ahh Naoki, won't you come inside?" My ears perked up at his name and I immediately felt self conscious. He's only ever seen me in the fru fru dress I wore yesterday.
Today, I hadn't even bothered to get dressed in something nice. I wore a tunic and shorts. "Can I talk to you for a second, Naoki?" Naoki had distracted me again from even sensing Aang enter the room.
And despite how Aang spoke to him yesterday, Naoki still agreed to talk to him. They disappeared from my view, and earshot, into the kitchen. The air felt lighter when they returned a few moments later.
Naoki came to my side, his arm slink around mine, encasing me. I felt almost trapped, I wiggled a little to try and create some space but his strong arms didn't budge.
Something was wrong, very wrong.
"You know Avatar, you should have trusted your instincts.."
His voice was full of malice, very different from the gentle but strong one I was accustomed to.
A panic rose in me, like one I've never known. Aang and Iroh moved into a defensive stance. His arms warped and changed from that which felt like skin to something scaly and coarse.
I tried to move, to get away. But nothing worked. I couldn't even bend. I felt his pinchers sink into my arms and I cried out in pain. "See you on the other side, Avatar."
"Aang!" I screamed for him but the world was fading from my already limited sight. I snapped my eyes shut hoping it was all just something in my head. But it wasn't.
We landed sharply, I felt the water and the ground beneath me. But I couldn't sense anything. I couldn't feel anything with my bending. It smelled swampy and my heart raced.
"Don't worry child, it'll all be over soon." His voice practically purred in my ears. And just when I thought it'd all end. Just when I thought I'd die here. I opened my eyes.
Color and light infiltrated my senses. I couldn't stop my tears.
